Rich Mahre, owner of RV repair shop Boss Bull Mobile RV Services in Austin, Texas, had a problem. He had a thriving hybrid shop and mobile repair business, yet he was losing a good amount of business because phone calls to the shop were going unanswered.
The nature of the business meant most of his workers were out on repair jobs, and office managers and answering services couldn’t answer all of the calls or field specific questions about repairs. Mahre estimated that 50% of calls during business hours were going to voicemail — and only 10-15% of voicemails ever converted to a booked appointment.
The RV service industry spends a lot of energy on repair cycle times, but customer intake — whether customers can even get through to request a repair in the first place — is a hidden revenue drain that rarely gets the same attention.
Mahre has a background in voice analytics and began researching to see if he could find a solution. He built ServiceNomad — an AI-powered Digital Front Desk that answers customer questions and books appointments. After running it on his own shop for 120 days, his missed call rate dropped to zero, he hit an 80% call-to-booking conversion rate, and time-to-appointment fell from one to two hours down to five minutes. Monthly customer operations costs dropped from $7,000 to $600, and Mahre estimates the missed calls were costing him roughly $200,000 a year in lost revenue. He also hadn’t realized how many calls he was missing overnight, from customers who worked late or had an inconvenient breakdown after hours.
ServiceNomad answers all customer calls, gets preliminary information, and books appointments. It also handles automated communication and sends out appointment reminders and updates on delayed parts. Ninety to 120 days after a visit, it re-engages customers with targeted follow-ups.
“It may send out a message saying, ‘Hey, when’s the last time you had your water heater serviced? We’re offering a free anode rod with every service,’” Mahre says. He calls it a quick win for shop owners, and customers appreciate the follow-up.
The system is also built to handle the emotional side of customer calls. When someone calls upset about a leaking roof, the AI responds with empathy before moving on to logistics. Mahre says that even customers who realize they’re talking to AI respond well when they feel heard. For customers who want a human anyway, a simple request bypasses the AI entirely and rings through to staff. Mahre calls this the “Mom Feature” — because if your mom calls, she’s getting through to a real person.
Mahre says the service helps with one of the biggest customer complaints across the industry – lack of communication. “Satisfaction goes through the roof when you’re overly communicating in an industry not known for communication.”
He estimates he’s freed up 30 hours a week across his team. ServiceNomad saves time on everything from eliminating small talk at the beginning of every call to saving a repair technician from having to stop work to take a call.
Currently, 32 other RV companies are using ServiceNomad and Mahre is beginning to sign small dealerships and service departments. He’s also developing AI tools to respond to customer reviews and compile warranty and insurance documentation, which he says have already cut first-submittal denial rates from 65% to around 10%.
One of his customers, a solo operator, told Mahre that before ServiceNomad he couldn’t take a cruise without worrying about missed calls. Now he can.
“My whole goal is that I want to have a huge impact on this industry,” says Mahre. “I want to help guys and girls who are getting into the business. People who just want to provide a superior customer experience and, you know, and to not kill themselves having to do it .”
